Multi-component anion relay cascade of 1-acetylcyclopropanecarboxamides, aldehydes and acrylonitrile: access to biscyanoethylated furo[3,2-c]pyridinones.

A highly efficient multi-component anion relay cascade reaction based on 1-acetylcyclopropanecarboxamides, aldehydes and acrylonitrile has been developed, which provides strategically novel and atom-economic access to biologically important biscyanoethylated furo[3,2-c]pyridinones. In this one-pot transformation, up to five bonds (one C-N, one C-O and three C-C bonds) were constructed.